A woman who is seriously ill with rabies in the UK was turned away from hospital twice before she was diagnosed, according to reports.

The woman, said to be a grandmother in her 50s, went to Darent Valley A&E unit in Kent twice, but was not admitted.

The hospital said that since the UK was rabies free staff had not considered it as a possible diagnosis.

The woman who lives in South London was bitten by a dog while abroad, and is now receiving hospital treatment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in central London.

The Sun reported that the woman was of Indian origin and was in India with her husband when she was bitten by a puppy.

But the Kent NHS Trust said that the "information supplied" did not lead them to think such an incident had occurred.

In a statement it said: "The UK is rabies free. If a patient does present at hospital with vague symptoms a doctor is unlikely to consider rabies as a diagnosis unless the patient highlights wild animal contact in an at-risk country.

"The hospital responded to the information supplied by the patient at the time."

The hospital added five staff members are being vaccinated "as a precautionary measure".

"We have launched an investigation into the circumstances around this lady's attendance at the emergency department and we are working closely with the Health Protection Agency," it added.

More than 55,000 people are estimated to die from rabies every year, with most cases occurring in developing countries, particularly South and South-East Asia.

Dr Brian McCloskey, director of the HPA for London, said: "It is important to stress that there is no risk to the general public as a result of this case or to patients and visitors at the hospital where the patient is receiving treatment.

"Despite there being tens of thousands of rabies cases each year worldwide, there have been no documented laboratory confirmed cases of human-to-human spread.

"Therefore the risk to other humans or animals from a patient with rabies is considered negligible.

Professor David Brown, a rabies expert at the HPA, said only four cases of human rabies acquired from dogs have been identified since 2000, all from animals abroad.

He said: "Rabies is an acute viral infection which is extremely rare in the United Kingdom.

"It is essential to get health advice if you are travelling to countries where rabies is common or if you know you will be working with animals."

Also on The Huffington Post

Close



News Pictures Of The Day: 24 May

of





A golden snub-nosed monkey plays with a stick in a cage decorated with lotus lanterns at Everland amusement and animal park in Yongin, south of Seoul on May 24, 2012. The largest amusement park in South Korea organized the event to celebrate Buddha's birthday on May 28. (Photo credit: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/GettyImages)

Myanmar democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi greets her supporters wearing a traditional costume as she leaves after her speech in Lashio, the northern Shan state on March 17, 2012. The US is concerned about the plight of thousands of people displaced by fighting between troops and ethnic rebels in northern Myanmar, a US special envoy said. AFP PHOTO/ SOE THAN WIN (Photo credit: Soe Than WIN/AFP/GettyImages)

Shaven-headed young boys wearing 3-D glasses watch a movie at SK Telecom T.um Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 24, 2012. He is one of the nine children who entered the temple to have an experience of monks' life for three weeks, called Little Buddha Camp, to celebrate upcoming Buddha's birthday on May 28. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A model of Rafael Nadal is surrounded by tennis balls at a tennis centre in Regents Park in London, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. The ten time Grand Slam winner and Olympic Gold medalist has been reproduced as a wax model where he will be on display to the public. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Actress Kristen Stewart arrives for the screening of On the Road at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Somali soldiers demonstrate their newly learnt combat skills at an European Commission sponsored military academy at Bihanga on May 10, 2012 in eastern Uganda. The EU is to date the biggest donor to Somalia, having committed €215.4 million since 2008 for governance, security, and economic growth. While it supports the development of Somali security capacities in order to allow the Transitional Federal Government force to exert its responsibilities in providing security to the population against insurgency that is the main cause of insecurity in the world's most dangerous country. (Photo credit: TONY KARUMBA/AFP/GettyImages)